Wednesday's thoughts

In the posting of the Monday "Build a Sermon" I speculated what a shepherd girl might bring to the Christ Child as I issued an invitation to add to the Christmas Story.

I have received some speculation on this subject.

One person speculated the shepherd girl would have brought a blanket for the Christ Child. The child would need a blanket for warmth. This person thought the blanket would have been a blanket her mother would have given her. The Shepherd girl's mother had died and this was the most precious gift the child could give.

Another thought came from someone who imagined the shepherd girl's gift would have been a lamb. This person ponders, "Why would Mary and Joseph have offered a pair of turtle doves as burnt offerings for the purification ceremony. While this was an acceptable offering, it was a poor person's alternative to presenting a lamb as a burnt offering. Joseph was said to be a builder by trade, which would not have made him impoverished. And the Holy Family was said to be visited by shepherds. So why no lamb for the sacrifice?

I believe it was a lamb offered by the shepherd girl. It was the lamb she offered up knowing it would be used as a sacrifice. I believe they took that lamb to the temple for the purification sacrifice. At the temple, they met Simeon and Anna. Simeon and Anna knew there was something different about this child. Perhaps with Zacharias they reasoned with the presiding priest that the sacrifice of a lamb would not be necessary, that the substitution of a turtle dove would suffice. Ultimately, a lamb of God would have to suffer but not that day, and not at that time. The baby lamb would go back with the family to Galilee to be a companion to the young child, as a freely given gift from a poor shepherd girl."

The Build a Sermon has been helpful for us preachers as you can see. There is time and room for other ideas. What do you think the shepherd girl would have brought had she known about the Christ Child born in Bethlehem?

I look forward to hearing from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you are willing to have others read your thoughts click on the box below. Thanks for your help.


Charles Schuster